Monday 10 July 2017

Mutasa hits hard time - the scourge hardening Zanu PF resolve to rig 2018 election. P Guramatunhu

“Aiva madziva avamazumbuko!” So, goes the Shona adage! The more appropriate translation is the present case will have to be “Yesteryear’s untouchable demigods are today’s paupers!”

“Zimbabwe’s first Speaker of the National Assembly Didymus Mutasa who held many Cabinet posts before he was fired from Zanu PF in 2015, at the height of the party’s infamous purges, has hit hard times as he is struggling to send his children to school and servicing huge debts including $70 000 owed to Zesa,” reported the Daily News.

How the mighty have fallen; the proud and pompous, humbled! What I found laughable about the whole sorry story is that our pauper may have been booted out of Zanu PF but the stupid habits he learnt from the party have stayed with him.

“What is troubling me the most though is how it accrued to that amount because that is what could accrue to the Rusape local authority for a whole year and one wonders how all that accrued for one person?” Mutasa told the reporter with, judging from the accompanying photograph, was a straight and innocent face.

Comrade Mutasa when you were in Zanu PF you thought yourself a demigod, like your colleagues in the party, you rod roughshod over the rest of us ordinary mortals. You got all you wanted absolute power, looted wealth and political influence. You where the godfather of Manicaland and anyone, anyone at all who dare challenge you, Zanu PF or President Mugabe’s power and authority you crashed him/her like a bug.

Your debts mounted because it was easy to spend money hand over fist without a second thought because it was even easier to get even more money. Ease come ease go! It never ever occurred to you wherever the money was coming from, it might run out one day. Well, it has now!

As for the damaging effect of the regime’s mismanagement and corrupt, you were too busy enjoying the benefit of the gravy train lifestyle to even notice the growing scourge of poverty and despair spreading like a dark shadow over the nation. Even when povo complained about their suffering and the need for change, you and your friends in Zanu PF considered calls for regime-change treason and dealt with it accordingly!

“I am not rich because unlike others, I did not even steal a pen when I left government and all that I was supposed to leave behind was properly accounted for.

“You are probably one of the first people that I have told my problems and one of the greatest ones is honesty,” he added.

Yes Comrade one of your greatest problem has always been your insatiable greed and your shameless abuse of your position of power and trust in pursuit your selfish interests. Of course, you are rich, you have farms, houses, cars and many other assets. You could be even richer if you had managed your looted wealth judiciously.

Mutasa is whinging about his economic hardship and yet there are millions of ordinary Zimbabweans who have absolutely nothing and are now living in grinding abject poverty. The type of poverty that kills; decades of poor housing, hard work for very like return, poor food, poor health care, poor everything, has taken its heavy toll they are susceptible to disease and death.

It is hard to feel sorry for Comrade Mutasa, even if his economic situation should mean he too is living in grinding poverty; he brought this upon himself because of his insatiable greed for power and loot. It is the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans living in grinding poverty one feels sorry for, they are the innocent victims of the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship.

“We pray sooner or later that they (Zanu PF) will change or some other authority will come into power and change the situation for the better,” continue Mutasa.

“I am so fascinated by a certain Kenyan professor, Lumumba, who says there is need for the Magufulinisation of the African continent and I think he is right especially looking at Zimbabwe because there is too much corruption.”

Ever since the day he was booted out of Zanu PF he has, for the first time, admitted that Zanu PF – the Zanu PF he left - was corrupt and the need for change. Like all the others who were booted out of the party with him, he has never admitted to being corrupt himself.

Indeed when Mutasa, Mujuru, Rugare Gumbo and many other booted out of the party in 2014/2015 form their own party they claimed they are the best qualifies to end the Zanu PF corruption and bring good governance. All they wanted was to get back on the gravy train as quickly as possible so they could resume the looting from where the left off. Thank God, the people saw beyond the feigned public sympathy and refuse to trust these seasoned crooks.

Comrade Mutasa and most of his fellow ex-Zanu PF friends are facing economic hardships, some may well have sunk to grinding poverty level already; this is what they feared and hence why they fought like wild cats to retain power. Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is now so bad that there are still too many ruling elite still left in Zanu PF, even after the Mujuru “load shedding”, this is why the factional fighting in the party is still a fierce and furious as ever.

Zanu PF members may be fighting each other over the control of the party but when it comes to national elections they will unite because they all know that their economic and political situation will be even worse if Zanu PF was completely kicked out of power. So come the national elections next year, Zanu PF vote rigging and thuggery will go into overdrive if necessary, just to make sure the party retains power!

These saying the opposition can win next year’s election with no reforms in place to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote are naïve. Zanu PF look at Comrade Mutasa’s, pompous demigod humbled by growing poverty, and they know, if they do not win the elections, they will be like him or worse. You can bet, they will be fighting like devils next year to make sure Zanu PF remains in power.

The 37 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF misrule has left millions of ordinary Zimbabweans destitute and the case for meaningful political change and economic recovery is self-evident. The irony is the consequences of the decades of misrule has the Zanu PF worried sick of their own economic situation giving up power is even harder than ever!

Whatever economic hardship Comrade Mutasa and his Zanu PF friends face after losing power they only have themselves to blame for it because it was their decades of misrule that brought it about. The need for meaningful political change must be pursued with a sense of purpose and urgency because something must be done to end the economic suffering Zanu PF brought upon the nation. 

7 comments:

  1. @Daphine Zulu

    “The Shona adage, shiri ine muririre wayo haiuregeri best describes the MDC-T when it comes to elections, as the party seizes any opportunity to grumble over the possibility of losing an election to rigging or any imaginary unfair play,” you say.

    Whilst it is true that MDC-T has been at sixes and sevens on what is wrong with our electoral system much less what should be done about it. The fact of the matter is vote rigging in Zimbabwe is a real and very serious problem. It is now abundantly clear that contesting next year’s elections is not just madness but high treason because those doing it know it is futile but are doing it out of selfish greed!

    Since the 2008 elections Zanu PF has learnt that as long as it allowed the opposition to win a few gravy train seats; the regime can continue to rig the elections and still have a full house of opposition opponents.

    The only solution to vote rigging is to implement the democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF’s corrupting and undemocratic control over ZEC, Police and all the other State Institutions. MDC leaders had the golden opportunity to implement the reforms during the GNU, SADC leaders reminded them to do so repeatedly. In the five years of the GNU, MDC has failed to get even one reform implemented because of their blundering incompetence and greed.

    Morgan Tsvangirai has failed to give even one pausible excuse why his party is forsaking it “No reform, no election!” stance given that not even one reform was implemented since the July 2013 rigged elections. The whole world can see that the only reason opposition is contesting these flawed elections is greed. Everyone can see that Zimbabwe elections are sham and the prospect of the international community, including SADC and the AU, refusing to recognise the elections result as a true reflection of the democratic will of the people of Zimbabwe is looming large!

    With no democratic reforms in place, of course, Zanu PF will rig next year’s elections. Some people are saying the vote rigging is done and dusted already, all the regime is waiting for is to announce yet another Zanu PF landslide victory! The only big worry for the regime is whether it can get away with it this time; a totally discredited opposition will make that IMPOSSIBLE!

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  2. Linda Masarira, the pro-democracy activist, said chances of the opposition winning next year's election were next to zero as they have no strategy to outwit Zanu-PF.

    "MDC-T leaders were equally corrupt and clueless during the Government of National Unity," she added.

    Linda is not the only ordinary Zimbabwean to openly admit that MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent many others are saying the same thing. Zimbabweans have been slow to accept the political reality of how Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2013 elections sweeping aside MDC’s repeated assurance that the elections would be free, fair and credible, for example. MDC’s claim of the new constitution being the bulwark to stop vote rigging turned out to be just another example of Chinua Achebe’s egotistic dog who claimed to put out the furnace fire “with its puny fart!”

    There really is no plausible excuse for MDC or anyone else in the opposition camp for contesting in next year’s election when everyone with eyes to see and half a brain to perceive knows the election are flawed and Zanu PF will rig the vote. The only reason the opposition are contesting is out of greed, they know Zanu PF will give away a few gravy train seats and these are the ones they are after.

    The electorate can see through the opposition’s lies and know of their greed. Zanu PF rallies are well attended by school children, as we saw in the Masvingo rally last week, and anyone else the party thugs can frogmarch to attend. As for the opposition, gone are the days of a “sea of red” of MDC supporters in their party colours.

    Zanu PF will rig next year’s elections but will not get away with it because the whole world can see this is stage-managed sham election in which the regime is even parachuting in opposition candidates to shore up the fast disappearing opposition credibility!

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  3. @ Maita

    "So she knows Zanupf is using state projects to campaign how then does she expect the opposition to use the state projects," you said.

    The point here is that Zanu PF uses State institutions and resources to rig elections and the point is not to contest the elections until democratic reforms designed to stop these abuses are implemented. MDC not only failed to get even one reform implemented when they had the chance to do so during the GNU but dragged the nation into flawed 2013 elections. 

    MDC have promised they will not contest another election until reforms are implemented but have now changed their minds for no reason other than greed for the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away. 

    Your trouble my friend is that you cannot accept that MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent even with a mountain of evidence in front of you. 

    There is no logic in contesting an election you know is going to be rigged. The only reason Tsvangirai & co. contested the July 2013 elections contrary to SADC leaders warning the elections would be rigged is greed. The opposition are doing the same again next year for the same reason – greed.

    We, the ordinary people, gained nothing from a rigged 2013 election other than being stuck with Zanu PF and forfeiting the chance to implement the reforms. It would be folly to allow these selfish, corrupt and incompetent opposition leaders with their blind-as-a-mole supporters (half of whom are in fact CIOs) to drag us into yet another flawed election process!

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  4. "Aiva madziva avamazambuko!" I would have said “Zumbu rakapindanyoka!” (Chicken hut that has been ravished by a snake!) After 34 years of three course meals, designer suits, etc. Comrade Mutasa was not taken well to sadza nemajuru (a meal of maize meal with termites), and the ill-fitting cloths from Sayaso!

    In the first decade or so after independence Mugabe always managed to get his cronies he was sending out to pasture some cushy jobs. This was one of the reasons why the civil service, army, parastatals, etc. have all ballooned. We have so many very well paid chefs and very few ill paid workers doing the useful and productive work; which in turn has contributed to the economic decline. It was just a matter of time before the whole phony economic prosperity blow into Mugabe’s face. For years now all those put out to pasture by Zanu PF have been allowed to readopt from the gravy train lifestyle of unlimited luxury to poverty.

    I agree with you there Patrick, the economic drop, with it the standard of living, from one used to the luxuries of the gravy train to surviving day by day on subsistence is the greatest fear amongst the ruling elite. “Kupona nehwaku mukwaku seguguvo!” as one would say in Shona. By destroying the country’s economy what Zanu PF has done is destroy the middle class. In Zimbabwe you are either one of the few filthy rich of you are one of the millions making do on $200 per year income, according to New World Wealth report. It is this fear that forced people like Grace Mugabe to fight like a cornered shrew, first, to “baby dump” Mujuru and then to take on Mnangagwa to make sure she succeeds her husband as President.

    If Grace Mugabe does not get the presidency there is no doubt she will find it impossible to hang on to the Blue Roof Mansion and all the family has looted. She can never explain how the family earned it all legally and in the face of the grinding poverty in the land it will only be just that the loot is given back to its rightful owners – the people. What is true of the Mugabes is equally true of the rest in Zanu PF. Of course, Zanu PF will not want to give up power without a fight, not with grinding poverty ready to embrace them the very day they lose power

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  5. “The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said economic activity in Zimbabwe is projected to remain subdued, in the medium term, pending adjustment and reform that will enable the economy to restore fiscal and external sustainability and achieve its growth potential,” reported Spotlight –Z.

    True enough and there will never be any meaningful reforms until the nation finally deals with this cancer of bad governance by implementing the reforms designed to dismantle the de facto one-party state. The nation has had many opportunities to end the dictatorship, with the best chance coming during the GNU, but has wasted them all.

    SADC leaders warned the country of the need to implement the reforms but we refused to listen. Next year the country is set to go into the elections with no reform in place. It is madness as this will not change anything as Zanu PF will just rig the vote as before.

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  6. "Aiva madziva avamazambuko!" I would have said “Zumbu rakapindanyoka!” (Chicken hut that has been ravished by a snake!) After 34 years of three course meals, designer suits, etc. Comrade Mutasa was not taken well to sadza nemajuru (a meal of maize meal with termites), and the ill-fitting cloths from Sayaso!

    In the first decade or so after independence Mugabe always managed to get his cronies he was sending out to pasture some cushy jobs. This was one of the reasons why the civil service, army, parastatals, etc. have all ballooned. We have so many very well paid chefs and very few ill paid workers doing the useful and productive work; which in turn has contributed to the economic decline. It was just a matter of time before the whole phony economic prosperity blow into Mugabe’s face. For years now all those put out to pasture by Zanu PF have been allowed to readopt from the gravy train lifestyle of unlimited luxury to poverty.

    I agree with you there Patrick, the economic drop, with it the standard of living, from one used to the luxuries of the gravy train to surviving day by day on subsistence is the greatest fear amongst the ruling elite. “Kupona nehwaku mukwaku seguguvo!” as one would say in Shona. By destroying the country’s economy what Zanu PF has done is destroy the middle class. In Zimbabwe you are either one of the few filthy rich of you are one of the millions making do on $200 per year income, according to New World Wealth report. It is this fear that forced people like Grace Mugabe to fight like a cornered shrew, first, to “baby dump” Mujuru and then to take on Mnangagwa to make sure she succeeds her husband as President.

    If Grace Mugabe does not get the presidency there is no doubt she will find it impossible to hang on to the Blue Roof Mansion and all the family has looted. She can never explain how the family earned it all legally and in the face of the grinding poverty in the land it will only be just that the loot is given back to its rightful owners – the people. What is true of the Mugabes is equally true of the rest in Zanu PF. Of course, Zanu PF will not want to give up power without a fight, not with grinding poverty ready to embrace them the very day they lose power.

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  7. We fought a bitter liberation war so that we could we enjoy freedom, liberty, justice, peace, economic prosperity, one-man-one-vote, etc., etc. Many of our people both in the front line and civilians lost property, limps and hundreds of thousands lost their very lives. It is a great tragedy that after all that sacrifice all we did was remove an oppressive white colonial regime only to replace it with a tyrannical, corrupt and incompetent black regime.

    Comrade Didymus Mutasa and all the other Zanu PF leaders are guilty of betraying the nation and all we fought for and for landing us in this mess. Mutasa has had the last 3 years to reflect on what has happened and one would have thought he would now be filled with remorse and begging the nation, especially the victims of his murderous acts for forgiveness. Instead the old crow is whining about how his fellow Zanu thugs are laughing at him; it is always me, me, me with him and his kind! He has not even noticed the full extend of the hell the regime created.

    I hope Zimbabwe will one day have a competent government that will document properly what has happened here these last 37 years with the view of establishing the true historic facts and to recover some of the looted wealth from those responsible or their estates! What has happened here is an outrage we must recognize it as such and deal with it accordingly!

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